Skater of the Month: Skater Tots

©2011 Donalee Eiri, Photography by D.E.sign

What attracted you to roller derby?
A friend on Facebook kept posting about it.

Did you skate or play another sport before starting derby?
No, I was the kid who got picked last for recess games and decided people who ran were dumb, so I would walk the whole time during the Jog-a-thon. It wasn’t until I was in my 20s that I started becoming more active and that was mainly with hiking and yoga.

How did you choose your derby name?
My dad calls me “tates” or “taters” so it was a play off of that. LauRAWR’s boyfriend GilBurrito thought of it. He’s so clever!

What’s your favorite (derby) position?
I like to block, but lately I have been trying to step out of my comfort zone and jam more.

What are you known for on the track? What’s your superpower?
Uh…I make people think of cake and it is a distraction?

Do you have a pre-game ritual?
Nope. I just make sure I don’t stink before.

Tell us about your greatest derby experience.
I’ve had lots of amazing experiences through derby. I can’t really pick out the “greatest.” It’s just awesome to go from thinking, “Man, I could never do that,” to saying, “Look! I’m doing it!” which happens a lot in derby when you push yourself.

Describe your gnarliest injury.
Broke and dislocated my ankle this past January during a Sunday derby practice. The following week I had surgery and they put in a metal plate and ten screws. It has been heartbreaking not to be able to skate these past three months but I am thankful for all the support I have received from my teammates. Plus I now have a big gnarly scar—scars are cool right?

What do you contribute to SVRG *off* the track?
I am head of Human Resources. I get to handle lots of paperwork and educate people about the Policies and Procedures.

When you’re not skating, how do you pass the time? What other passions do you have?
I have my own wedding and specialty cake business, A Spoonful of Sugar in San Francisco which takes up a lot of time! I like to get ice cream with my BFF LauRAWR, see movies with Spankin’ Firecracker, hang with my MLOA buddy Lindsay Lohanded, watch RuPaul’s Drag Race, cuddle with my adorable kitty cats, and spend time with my boyfriend Baker.

Who are your heroes of roller derby?
Bonnie Thunders from Gotham. When she is stuck behind a wall, it’s like she doesn’t even have skates on!

I look up to lots of girls on SVRG. I hope to be able to make a comeback like Bionic BabyDoll after her back surgery. Every time I think about how much it sucks to not be able to skate for 4-6 months, I remember that she couldn’t skate for like two years. Now she’s becoming a beast!

Can you offer any advice to people who are interested in derby?
Don’t be afraid of screwing up. It takes a lot of time, effort, and just plain hard work. Never think that you’ve got something down because you can always improve. Be humble and ask questions. If you just want to be good enough then this isn’t the sport for you.

Canada Rolls through NorCal

The Terminal City Rollergirls made the trek all the way from Vancouver to take on Sacred City, Santa Cruz, and SVRG. Our Dot.Kamikazes played Terminal City’s All-Stars in a WFTDA-sanctioned bout on Sunday, April 29^th at San Jose Skate. This closed bout wasn’t open to the general public, so here’s a recap of the action.

©2012 Nicolas Charest, SVRG’s Belle Wringer helps Catherine Beata Bones get lead jammer status over Terminal City’s Kim Janna

After being held scoreless for two jams, the Dots took the lead in the third jam with Mongoose’s 13-point power jam and held it for 11 jams, when a lead change put Terminal City on top for the duration of the bout.

Terminal City made a total of 6 successful star passes and one failed attempt right off the jammer line over a knee-down start. SVRG also tried this tactic when Absolutely Scabulous passed the panty to Belle Wringer in the final jam of the 1^st period. That’s something that you don’t see too often. As a result, there were a bunch of jams called off before anyone could score and many others where the lead jammer hit-it-and-quit-it as soon as she was able to make her scoring pass.

From the first whistle, we could tell that this was going to be a very physical game. The Canadians brought a level of aggression born of hockey and universal health care. SVRG’s Sasha Degrader, Belle Wringer, Spankin’ Firecracker, and Tennessee Smitan dished out some punishment of their own. Catherine Beata Bones and Pia Mess gave TCRG’s Hittin’ Miss and Luludemon some jammer-on-jammer action. During the 2^nd period, the formidable wall of Sasha Degrader, Smash N’ Burn, and Spankin’ Firecracker held Terminal City’s jammer Kim Janna for an entire lap. But the ladies in black held up some tight defensive walls themselves, and widened the gap on the scoreboard.

©2012 Mark Nockleby, Sasha Degrader extends a hand to give Pia Mess a whip

Pia Mess was the high-scorer for the Dots with 39 points total, 19 of which were earned in the final jam of the game. Belle Wringer and Zootown Throwdown assisted by clearing a path for Pia during that last push power jam.

Terminal City won 179-88, adding to their 116-94 victory against the Santa Cruz Bombshells on Saturday. Quite a comeback after losing Friday’s scrimmage to Sacred City that ended with a hospitalized teammate. We’re happy everyone made it home safely and hope to visit Vancouver someday for a rematch.

Killas Take a Byte out of Sacramento

By Bitch Puddin’

©2012 beakertehmuppet, Juicy’s 15-point Jam!

While SVRG’s Dot.Kamikazes were playing their way through the Dust Devil Tournament in Tucson, the KillaBytes took on the Folsom Prison Bruisers in Sacramento on April 14^th.

The Killas took the lead early on and kept it throughout the entire game. Folsom put up a good fight but SVRG took advantage of their power jams and held Sac City scoreless for a number of jams.

SVRG’s blockers Juicy K. Tore, Jem Jones, and Avida Sane got in more than a couple of brutally effective hits, while jammer Mongoose had no problem getting through Folsom’s pack. It was exciting to see newly rostered KillaBytes Asian Orange, Surge, and Bullet Sucker out on the track. Bullet managed to score 20 points her first time as jammer. Juicy K. Tore and Unleasha Moore were also high-scorers with double-digit jams.

All of SVRG’s skaters took a turn as jammer, and had fun doing it. The KillaBytes went home victorious with a final score of 172-109. This win was dedicated to Mad-Eye Molly who was unable to bout due to an injury. One heartbeat, Killas!

©2012 beakertehmuppet, SVRG’s Culo Whippin’, Surge, and Skirt Vonna-Gut pen Sac City’s jammer Freddie Stare